


lurid

by aikhaterine



Category: The Haunting of Hill House (TV 2018)
Genre: Characters Watching Stargate, Gen, Sibling Bonding, The Tall Guy being an annoying guest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:28:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25221655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aikhaterine/pseuds/aikhaterine
Summary: With his sleep disturbed and nowhere to be found Luke stretches his arm and takes the television's control. The lights engulfs him in a calm manner, a blanket where he can almost imagine the hot sensation. It's all divagation, it's freezing inside and he wonders if he'll have to call someone to fix the heater. Luke knows, however, it doesn't matter, it will never work properly as long as he lives in this place.Or, Luke can't sleep and calls for someone.
Relationships: Luke Crain & Steven Crain
Kudos: 37





	lurid

**Author's Note:**

> Not betaed, so you can sure as hell expect for grotesque mistakes.

Hideous eyes dripping with lost hope.

That's what Luke sees when confronting him, though when just a child he couldn't say. He never had the courage to look. 

Even the sounds were hard. 

And some days he can't even know the difference between himself and the tall man, the eyes, yeah, they look the same in the mirror. 

The tall man is standing at the foot of the bed, hanging there just waiting for a signal, maybe Luke unsteady breath could be it. But long was the time that Luke would be terrified, long was the time that he would tremble and count, count to seven untill his mind was dizzy with the repetition.

That sure was a show of bravery. 

Dragging his body out of the warmth of his comforter wasn't shocking, sometimes the freezing air hitting his skin would make the haunt disappear, most nights would ignore it completely. This seems to be like one of these nights.

As he leaves his room with only his uninvited guest as company breathing on his neck, Luke tries to turn the lights on, with no avail — he suspects it's the tall man's fault. It's quite bothersome, but he knows his house well enough to wander it. 

Before sitting on his sofa, Luke takes the telephone resting on the television's stand, then disking the first number that goes into his mind.

It takes some time and Luke's gaze is transfixed and he wonders if the tall man will share the sofa with him too. 

"Uhhh, Luke? What's the m—what time is it?" A drowsy voice says at the other end, Steven that now is trying to stifle a yawn. Shit, Luke should have thought better about it.

He inhales, one, two, endless eyes—

"Luke? Are you there?" 

"Uhn, yeah, yeah—sorry for calling you this late," reality hits back and suddenly Luke feels tired, as if he had not slept for days. "I—it's just... I needed to hear another sound." It seems so lame now, the thing is just there not attacking him, just there, staring. Luke doesn't know if it's worse or not.

"Oh, okay," Steve says softly, understanding immediately when some years ago he wouldn't even answer the call. "I can go to your house. I'll just tell Leigh—"

"What? No, stay there, you don't have to come here. You know what? You can go back to sleep, sorry, bye." Luke says, giving no time to Steve to respond before turning off.

Well, this was smooth. 

Luke looks and see no one to witness his idiocy; the tall man was probably bored about the weird display, Luke muses knowing himself too well to that be the case.

With his sleep disturbed and nowhere to be found Luke stretches his arm and takes the television's control. The lights engulfs him in a calm manner, a blanket where he can almost imagine the hot sensation. It's all divagation, it's freezing inside and he wonders if he'll have to call someone to fix the heater. Luke knows, however, it doesn't matter, it will never work properly as long as he lives in this place.

It's passing a movie, Stargate, and sure as hell Luke likes James Spader as Dr. Jackson. The tall man reappears even with Luke laughing at some parts; the company servers him right.

Maybe it was the hour or the fact that he never expects someone to knock on his door but the suddenly sound makes Luke jumps in fright. He waits and the sound comes again.

Luke shouldn't be surprised to see Steve at his apartment, when he called earlier and hang up on him. 

Steve looks like somebody that barely put his clothes on, well, besides the pajamas and robes. The hour, Luke. 

"Hope that you have a spare bed." He grumbles, not giving time to Luke open the door completely before entering. The back of his hands rubbing his eyes in a attempt to scare the sleep.

"Steve—"

"Close the door, Luke."

And he does just that. Steve just seat on his sofa, more laying than sitting, really. 

"You didn't have to come all the way here, I told you," the tall man turns in Luke's direction, mocking him with a impassive face.

"Stargate? Funny movie." 

Luke stares the back of Steve's head then goes to sit down and watch the movie. More try since the tall man decides to position itself in front of the TV, demanding attention.

"Humph." Eloquently he sounds.

"What?" For the first time since entering his house Steve looks at him. 

"The tall man is in front of the TV."

"Serious?" Steve asks narrowing his eyes like it would pry the entity to appear for him as well. "What an ass."

Luke starts shaking with laughter. "I don't remember being this annoying."

The smile on Steve face is brilliant. "Oh, you're not, maybe the right description would be—" the pause goes on for a long time and Luke arches his brown. 

"Wait, wait, you were about to call me needy? A being deprived of attention?" The questions are serious though Luke is playing it cool. 

Steve freezes with his mouth open. 

"You know that I'm joking, right?" Luke says half-hearted.

The thin set of Steve's mouth doesn't seem to lessen even when he smiles. "Yes. I know."

Luke turns his head and the tall man isn't there anymore. What he sees is James Spader tilting his head instead. Like the actor himself was presenting the awkwardness of it all and not a random thing that O'Neill said on screen.

"Weird," mumbles Steve. "Okay, let's start again. Tell me something."

Luke frowns. "About?"

"I don't know, anything."

For a moment he can't remember anything about his life, the fault is from the suddenly question. Then things return to him gradually. "I'm working in a history at work, well, it's a gossip."

"What gossip?"

"You will have to wait like every person, sorry." Luke admonishes with no heat.

"I don't like to read the newspaper." 

Luke frowns with it, throughout the years if you caught Steve in the mornings you would seem him reading the news in the breakfast. "Really? I thought that you liked." 

"Oh. Yeah, I like. Not the one where you work. Sorry." Steve says and Luke can feel him wincing.

"Huh, I don't blame you. They're very pretentious." Luke doesn't feel sorry since it's the truth and it makes him laugh. "Though it's the only one that accepted me after... you know, rehab and all the ugly stuff," he adds shrugging it of with a little deprecated laugh. "And I don't have illusions about getting a better job in a better place." 

When turning his face to look at Steve, somehow, it takes his breath away because of all the emotions that he can see in his brother's eyes. "Nonsense," Steve whispers. "I read your articles every week, and sure, the themes are shit but your write makes for it."

"Wow, thanks." He says, abashed with the compliment. 

"I'm only saying the truth, Luke." The lines are much more than that, somehow the words leaves an impression of a deeper care. Though in these days Luke grabs for anything that is throw in his way. 


End file.
